When we first met Mukesh at his home in East London, he told us he rarely left his 1-bedroom ground floor flat other than to go to his GP and hospital appointments. He went on to tell us that he felt exhausted from walking as little as 10 yards outdoors and was currently on an NHS waiting list for Bariatric Surgery, as his weight of 164kg meant he was clinically obese and at significant risk of getting heart disease or having a stroke.

As well as his weight, Mukesh was struggling with high blood pressure, impaired vision, obstructive sleep apnoea, breathing difficulties, lower limb swelling, hyperlipidaemia and social isolation.

During his initial consultation with us, we asked Mukesh what he wanted to achieve in terms of improving his health and mental wellbeing.

He told us he wanted:

To lose 16kg in body weight

To reduce the time it took him to get ready in the morning (from 2.5 hours to under 1 hour)

To reduce the amount of medication he was taking to control his high blood pressure

We designed a personalised Exercise Therapy programme for Mukesh, which involved supervised gym sessions, as well as accompanied walks outdoors lasting between 1-2 hours each week.

In just 12 weeks, Mukesh achieved a lot more than the 3 goals he set himself initially. He found he had:

Lost a total of 13kg in body weight (equivalent to losing around 1 kg per week – a safe reduction in body weight), resulting in a loss of 5 inches around his waist and 3 shirt sizes smaller

A significant reduction in Depression levels (19 points to 4 points using HADS)

The ability to tie his own shoe laces for the first time in 7 years

The ability to put his trousers on whilst standing (he was only able to do this sitting down)

An improvement in his breathing and fitness levels

A reduction in lower limb swelling, resulting in a shoe size decrease of 2 sizes!

The confidence to go on a 2-month trip abroad to participate in an internationally-acclaimed residential course

Mukesh achieved all of the above with thanks to the Institute of Physics for sponsoring him to receive our award-winning service

Meet Alfred, aged 91

On our first assessment visit to meet Alfred and his daughter, we were shown to a small upstairs bedroom where Alfred was spending his entire day and night.

His daughter told us that her father was previously a very active man, enjoying cycling and climbing trees right up until his 80’s! This all changed after Alfred had an accident having falling off a ladder, which lead to him losing confidence in himself and in his physical abilities.

Within just a few months of the accident, Alfred was practically housebound, only leaving the house to go to hospital appointments, which lead to his daughter becoming his main carer 24 hours a day. To make matters worse, he had also fallen down the stairs and injured his shoulder.

Alfred told us he had received a few sessions of physiotherapy from the NHS for his shoulder injury but that this had made very little difference to the overall joint function, and was disappointed that he received no other help to improve his mobility so he could navigate safely around his home.

When we asked Alfred what he wanted to achieve, he told us he wanted to feel more confident getting around the home by himself without the fear of falling and hurting himself.

We designed a personalised programme of Exercise Therapy to help Alfred achieve his goals, which also included 6-weekly consultations with our Registered Nutritional Therapist to help Alfred better manage his blood sugar levels, since he was also a Type 2 Diabetic.

Within 6 months of receiving our support, Alfred could do all of the following:

Leave the comfort of his bedroom to get to all rooms inside the house

Confidently use the stairs of his home without fear of falling up or down

Answer the front door of his home to visiting guests (like ourselves!)

Walk short distances without the use of a walking aid

Attend his local church with his daughter

Reduce his blood sugar levels from 94 mmol/mol to 60 mmol/mol, thus increasing his energy levels throughout the day

Meet Sharon, aged 35

Diagnosed with Systemic Erythematous Lupus in her mid 20’s, Sharon struggled daily with constant pain, fatigue, and swelling in her lower limbs – the latter of which was partly due to the side-effects of the medication she was taking to treat her auto-immune disease.

Sharon told us she left her home twice a week to do food shopping but didn’t go anywhere else due to ongoing muscle weakness, coupled with the pain she experienced throughout her entire body.

During Sharon’s first assessment with us, she told us she wanted our help so she could find the physical and mental strength to take her son to their local park.

We designed a personalised programme of Exercise Therapy for Sharon, and by the end of 3-months she was able to achieve all of the following for the first time in years of living with her health condition:

The ability to take her son to their local park and the strength to push him on the swings

The confidence to remove the Panic Alarm around her neck due to her previous fear of falling indoors and not being able to get up

A reduction in body weight of 6.5 kilos, resulting in 1 dress size down

The motivation and confidence to leave the comfort of her home to socialise with friends and family

Buddying-up with a friend to follow an exercise programme at her local gym